"No Permanent Friends Or Enemies": Rajnath Singh To NDTV Amid Tariff Row

Speaking at the NDTV Defence Summit 2025 today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that there are "no permanent friends or enemies" -- only permanent interests. Mr Singh's remarks come against the backdrop of tariff tensions with the United States.

Here are the Defence Minister's top quotes from the summit:

• There could not have been a better timing for this conclave.
• The world today is changing so rapidly that new challenges are emerging before us every day.
• Be it pandemics, terrorism, or regional conflicts, this century has proven to be the most unstable and challenging on every front so far. In such circumstances, if we talk about today's strategic requirements, it becomes clear that atmanirbharta (self-reliance) is not an option in today's time; self-reliance is not just an advantage but has become a necessity.
• Earlier, we used to see it as a privilege, but today it is a condition for survival and progress.
• There are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. India does not consider anyone an enemy. The interest of our farmers, entrepreneurs is most important to us.
• Today's shifting geopolitics has also made it clear that external dependency in the field of Defence is no longer an option for us. In the current situation, self-reliance is essential for both our economy and our security.

• In 2014, our defence export was less than Rs 700 crore. Today it has increased to nearly Rs 24,000 crore, reaching a record level. This shows that India is no longer just a buyer, but is becoming an exporter.

• The way our forces, with their indigenous equipment, carried out precise strikes on their targets shows that no mission can succeed without a vision, long-term preparation, and coordination.

• The way our forces, with their indigenous equipment, carried out precise strikes on their targets shows that no mission can succeed without a vision, long-term preparation, and coordination.

• Operation Sindoor may seem like just a few days' war, and a story of India's victory and Pakistan's defeat, but behind it lay years of strategic preparation and a long history of defence preparedness.

• Just as an athlete achieves victory in a race in a few seconds, but behind it are months, years of hard work, in the same way, our forces, with their years of preparation, hard work, and indigenous equipment, carried out effective action on chosen targets.